Any broken leg experts out there? (Not mine) | GTAMotorcycle.com

Any broken leg experts out there? (Not mine)

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nobbie48

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My elderly mother-in-law failed in the "World Ends May 21st" contest by only breaking her femur on the 20th. She's 84 and I was trying to second guess the prognosis of a recovery. She had surgery and a rod put in the bone and so far so good but it's only been a day since the fix up.
If she can't go back to her two story home it means some major family upheavals. Family bickering aside she's not that bad of a MIL.
 
nobbie48 said:
My elderly mother-in-law failed in the "World Ends May 21st" contest by only breaking her femur on the 20th. She's 84 and I was trying to second guess the prognosis of a recovery. She had surgery and a rod put in the bone and so far so good but it's only been a day since the fix up.
If she can't go back to her two story home it means some major family upheavals. Family bickering aside she's not that bad of a MIL.
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[tasteless joke edited out]
Jokes aside, a snapped femur isn't too serious of a fracture, especially since they put in a rod. Due to her age, her recovery will be relatively slow, but she should make full recovery with no issues. Just load her up on calcium.
 
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For the record I am NOT a doctor or a health care professional. The information below is for general educational purposes and is not intended to supersede or replace a doctor's advice. Always consult a doctor before making an decisions or engaging in any treatment or therapy. There is no warranty expressed or implied. Batteries not included.

There wasn't a question in there so what exactly are you looking for? Anyone who's recently suffered a bone or joint injury may benefit from these supplements: calcium , glucosamine & condroitin. Sometimes the digestive system isn't able to extract these minerals from food or if a person has low calcium intake that won't help either. Glucosamine & condroitin are good for the joints and cartilage any aged person may benefit from them even without a recent injury.

For any young healthy child or adult bones can take 4-6 weeks for most of the healing to occur. However due to a person's age and the fact that they may have had surgery the recovery time is likely to be 2-3 times longer before they could conceivably regain some mobility. Even in a young adult a bone takes 12 months to heal entirely - despite the fact that a person may not feel pain an MRI would reveal trauma or bone damage during this period.

Aside from the supplements the only other thing to avoid any load bearing activity and to have the injured person rest as much as possible. After a two months or so the person might be able to do some basic physio therapy but it will depend entirely on the results of some follow up imaging and or whatever the orthopaedic surgeon's expert medical opinion is.

I AM NOT A DOCTOR so this advice isn't intended specifically for anyone or about anyone. For goodness sakes, talk to a doctor don't listen to anything I put here, it's all made up.
 
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A broken femur can be fatal for an 84 yr old.A doctor is the ONLY person you should be seeking advice from.

Firestart,that was really uncalled for.You have no idea what you are talking about.Please edit your post. (no pm sent)
 
Don't worry guys I'm not about to take over from the MDs. Firestart's comments are OK. So far the old girl is making reasonable short term progress so a bit of humour isn't out of order.

This is one of those new to me experiences and all I was looking for was a bit of anecdotal info in the "What if" catagory. And yes at 84 years old there are no guarantees.

Ignoring the recovery issues, the question is does she belong in a home? Other than her weight she is fairly healthy and putting her in a home would be like taking away a bikers ride. Yes, it's a safer life but is it a better life?

I appreciate the comments.
 
nobbie48 said:
Don't worry guys I'm not about to take over from the MDs. Firestart's comments are OK. So far the old girl is making reasonable short term progress so a bit of humour isn't out of order.

This is one of those new to me experiences and all I was looking for was a bit of anecdotal info in the "What if" catagory. And yes at 84 years old there are no guarantees.

Ignoring the recovery issues, the question is does she belong in a home? Other than her weight she is fairly healthy and putting her in a home would be like taking away a bikers ride. Yes, it's a safer life but is it a better life?

I appreciate the comments.
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there are "homes" that don't take away from the independence but allow for ready assistance when required. full kitchens and appts, no stairs.
 
A femoral fracture is relatively atypical. She will need extra assistance from the family until she's up and running, but after that.. If she's been able to function independently until now, I don't see putting her in a home as a necessity. Just try to increase the safety factor, like making sure that the tub's easy to get in and out of and that it's not slippery.. Basically senior-proof the house. Another option are personal alarms/monitors that she can have on her for a few bucks a month.
 
CruisnGrrl said:
there are "homes" that don't take away from the independence but allow for ready assistance when required. full kitchens and appts, no stairs.
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FWIW One of my MILs first comments was "How am I going to wash the windows now?"

That was before they even set the break. She fixates on her garden and keeping the house clean. You could eat off of her floor. However if she could adjust, the right home with the right people could be good for her.

The trouble is that one doesn't want to jump the gun but if on the other hand one waits too long and a home becomes mandatory on short notice, she could end up shoved into a undesireable one.

Other family issues complicate the matter as well.
 
So do your homework and have one lined up just in case.
 
nobbie48 said:
FWIW One of my MILs first comments was "How am I going to wash the windows now?"

That was before they even set the break. She fixates on her garden and keeping the house clean. You could eat off of her floor. However if she could adjust, the right home with the right people could be good for her.

The trouble is that one doesn't want to jump the gun but if on the other hand one waits too long and a home becomes mandatory on short notice, she could end up shoved into a undesireable one.

Other family issues complicate the matter as well.
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well the places i'm thinking of tend to be apartment buildings. she's not washing the out side ones. other option is she can live with family
 
Any type of fracture at that age is very seriously. Like wingboy said, they can be fatal.

for what its worth, i dont think its a good idea for a person that old to be living alone in a 2 storey house with that fracture.

The risk here is complications from surgery but more so, another fall. If she falls again (due to limited mobility) she can break her arm, leg or worse hip (which is almost 90% eventually--people at that age just dont recover from falls like that).

Thats what happened in my extended family, eldery person thinks they are fine, and they try to do something small and meaningless, like climb the stairs, or clean windows on a chair, vacum etc.. because they feel that they can and next thing you know, they broke something else.
 
If she is relatively healthy, don't even entertain the idea of putting her in a home, apt ect., all she needs is family support, and the rest will take care of itself. Regular visits by family to check up on her will be good.
 
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